Build project with Microsoft.Build API

Question

Build project with Microsoft.Build API

I'm trying to build a project using the classes in Microsoft.Build.

The code is:

var project = new ProjectInstance(CS_PROJ_FILE);
project.Build();

However it's throwing the following exception:

Microsoft.Build.Shared.InternalErrorException occurred
  HResult=0x80131500
  Message=MSB0001: Internal MSBuild Error: Type information for Microsoft.Build.Utilities.ToolLocationHelper was present in the whitelist cache as Microsoft.Build.Utilities.ToolLocationHelper, Microsoft.Build.Utilities.Core, Version=15.1.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a but the type could not be loaded. unexpectedly null
  Source=Microsoft.Build

I've tried adding the following to the packages (both in a net452 and a net7 project):

id="Microsoft.Build" version="15.1.1012"
id="Microsoft.Build.Framework" version="15.1.1012"
id="Microsoft.Build.Runtime" version="15.1.1012"
id="Microsoft.Build.Tasks.Core" version="15.1.1012"
id="Microsoft.Build.Utilities.Core" version="15.1.1012"

Still get the same result.

I've also tried using the BuildManager like this:

var buildManager = new BuildManager();
buildManager.Build(new BuildParameters(),
                   new BuildRequestData(new ProjectInstance(CS_PROJ_FILE), 
                                        new[] {"Build"}));

c#

.net

build

msbuild

asked on Stack Overflow May 29, 2017 by

BanksySan

3 Answers

I hit the same error after I installed:

Install-Package Microsoft.Build -Version 15.1.1012

But then I installed:

Install-Package Microsoft.Build.Utilities.Core -Version 15.1.1012

And things started working.

A little confusing...

I was pointed to this stackoverflow question by "dasMulli" at:

https://github.com/Microsoft/msbuild/issues/1889

answered on Stack Overflow May 30, 2017 by

Derek • edited May 30, 2017 by

Martin Ullrich

There is apparently a new way to fix this problem, as described here and here.

Here's what worked for me:

I deleted Microsoft.Build.dll, Microsoft.Build.Framework.dll, Microsoft.Build.Tasks.Core.dll and Microsoft.Build.Utilities.Core.dll (i.e., all Microsoft.Build .dll files) from my project's output folder.
I deleted several Microsoft.Build NuGet packages from my project's references.
I installed the Microsoft.Build.Locator NuGet package for my project.

I added the following code to my program:

 // This needed after upgrading to Roslyn revision 34025, see these two links:
 //  https://github.com/dotnet/roslyn/issues/26029
 //  https://stackoverflow.com/a/49886334/253938
 MSBuildLocator.RegisterDefaults();

This fixed the exception listed by the OP and avoided the tons of compiler error messages about being unable to resolve all references.

Edit: More information here: https://gist.github.com/DustinCampbell/32cd69d04ea1c08a16ae5c4cd21dd3a3

answered on Stack Overflow Apr 24, 2018 by

RenniePet • edited Apr 24, 2018 by

RenniePet

Micrsoft provides a good link here

The trick is indeed to use nuget pacakges, and to specify ExcludeAssets=runtime to tell NuGet that the assemblies are needed only at build time, and shouldn't be copied to the output directory.

answered on Stack Overflow Oct 25, 2019 by

Arjan

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